Jordan Asks Hussein Kin to Curb Politics

AMMAN, Jordan — A spokeswoman for Jordan’s government Wednesday indirectly asked two daughters of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to stay out of politics.

Asma Khader said that the adult daughters, Raghad and Rana, who took refuge in Amman in August, should not use Jordan as a platform for making political statements to the media.

“We are not asking them to abstain from meeting the press, but we hope their future statements are of a humanitarian nature and not politically inclined,” Khader said.

Hussein’s daughters have made several comments to the media from Amman, where they live in a palace that belongs to Jordan’s King Abdullah, who granted them asylum.

Raghad, the former Iraqi president’s eldest daughter, recently told Dubai-based satellite television channel Al Arabiya that the sisters wanted their father’s trial to be before an international court.

She said the Iraqi Governing Council should not be allowed to try Hussein because it was appointed by U.S. occupiers.

Khader said the sisters “should respect the stances and commitments of their host country,” adding that they were free to leave the nation whenever they wanted.